Tie rod and method of making the same



June 23, 1964 ARRIGHINI 3,137,938

TIE ROD AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Original Filed May 25. 1955 l0mmvmx AR IL RRIGHINI BY I M7 7 A TORNEYS United States Patent ice3,137,938 Patented June 23, 1964 4 Claims. (Cl. 29-558) The presentinvention relates to an improved tie rod for use with forms, walers andtie rod pins in the placcmerit of concrete structures, and to animproved method of making such tie rod. The present application is adivision of my copendin-g application, Serial No. 510,472, filed May 23,1955, and entitled Tie Rod, now abandoned.

For the purpose of spacing prefabricated inner and outer concreteplacement forms in proper parallel relation to one another, it isdesirable to employ a tie rod of an elongated, uniformly taperedcharacter. This tie rod is clamped to walers associated with thefo-rms'by means of tie rod pins. The removal of the rod from thehardened concrete is facilitated by tapering the rod uniformly fromend-to-end; and this points to the desirability of fabricating the tierod of the rod round stock, which can readily be formed to the desiredtaper on a centerless grinder. 7

However, difficul-ty has been experienced in the provision of axiallyextending slots in such a rod, adjacent opposite ends thereof, such asare necessary to receive tie rod pins which wedge against a walerthrough which the rod extends. Under normal procedures, costly drillingor punching and broaching or related forming operations are required toproduce such a slot, and it is impossible to manufacture tapered tierods of the above description by existing methods at an acceptableprice.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved tiebar or rod of requisite elongated, uniformly tapered and slottedcharacter, suitable for the uses described above, and which can beproduced by a simple manufacturing procedure involving a combination ofstandard commonplace procedures.

It is another object to provide an improved tie bar of the above sortwhich is produced cheaply and expeditiously by successive drilling andpunching operations adapted to be carried out on a mass productionbasis.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a methodof forming end slots in an elongated, uniformly tapered tie rod ofcircular cross section, in which a series of two or more successiveholes are drilled through the diameter of the rod, in immediate axialthough non-meeting succession to one another, and in which material ofthe rod intervening between those holes is then easily removed, toprovide an appropriate tie pin slot of desired elongated outline,without further machining of any sort.

The foregoing as well as other objects will be made more apparent asthis description proceeds, especially when considered in connection withthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, illustrating atypical installation of the improved tie rod in a concrete placementform assembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view in vertical section along Referring to FIGS.1 and 2 of the drawings, the improved tie rod of the invention isgenerally designated by the reference numeral 10. This rod is, in itsuse contemplated by the invention, positioned to extend throughtransversely aligned circular holes 11 of a pair of facing panels 12 ofa concrete placement form structure which is generally designated 13.The structure 13 is, in general, in accordance with the disclosure of myco-pending application, Serial No. 510,472, identified above, consistingof an arrangement of parallel wood frame members 14 having one or morewaler units 15 fixedly associated therewith as a unitary part thereof.Each waler unit includes a pair of parallel elongated pieces 16 ofangled cross section which are secured in spaced relation to provide ahorizontal slot 17 along the length thereof.

The slots 17 of the respective waler units 15 receive the opposite endsof a tie rod disposed in .the aligned holes 11 of facing panels 12, theslots being disposed at the elevation of the holes 11. The opposite endsof tie rod 11 are provided with elongated slots 18 in the direction ofthe length thereof, the slots extending diametrically through the rod inaxial alignment with one another, and the outer ends of the slotsterminating short of the respective ends of the rod.

In use, the forms 13 are clamped in spaced relation to one another byrods 10 extending through panel apertures 11 and the waler slots 17, bymeans of tie rod pins 19 which have wedging engagement with the waler 15and extend through the tie rod slots 18. In order to facilitate removalof the the tie rod from the form, once a concrete wall 20 or the likehas been poured between facing panels 12 and is set, it is desirablethat the tie rod 10 be uniformly tapered from end-to-end thereof in adegree which will enable proper association of the rod with the panels12, and ready displacement from holes 11 by an endwise blow or force. A.075" overall taper, independent of the length of the rod, is asatisfactory one.

In producing a tie rod 10 in accordance with the present method, roundrod stock of appropriate metal, which may be steel or aluminum in theinterest of lightness of weight, and of an appropriate diameter, isfirst cut to the required length and is given the appropriate taper overits length, as by a centerless grinder operation. As indicated in FIG. 3of the drawings, a series of holes of substantially less bore size thanthe diameter of the rod are then drilled diametrically through the rod,in axial alignment and immediate or closely spaced succession to oneanother, these holes being designated 22. Intervening, relatively thinweb portions 23 of the material of the rod are left between the holes 22by this operation, however the amount of material aggregated in theportions 23 is relatively slight. It is removed as the next operation inthe method by punching the rod 10 as indicated in dotted line in FIG. 3.This may be done by a single hardened punch (not shown) of the elongatedrectangular outline 24 depicted in FIG. 3. The punch is proportioned sothat the elongated parallel sides of the outline 24, hence side portions25 (FIG. 4) of the completed slot produced thereby, lie within theoutmost side are portions 26 of the holes 22, outline 24 thus subtendingminor opposed arcs of holes 22. The opposed, relatively short ends ofthe slot outline 24 will lie approximately diametrically of therespective end holes 22.

The above described procedure of drilling and punching the bar resultsin a slot 18 which is of the desired axial elongated character, and theforces encountered in the punching phase are greatly minimized bybringing the punching outline within the outer side extremities of thedrilled outline. The cost of producing the article is negligible ascompared with that of producing a corresponding slot by drilling,broaching and other relatively complex machining operations,

It is to be understood that the dimensional differential between thediameter of the holes 26 and the width of the punched slot outline 24may vary somewhat, so long as the slot dimension is the lesser of thetwo. The number of holes 22 may be varied, as may their axial spac ingfrom one another. However, it is desirable that the intervening material23 be kept to a minimum. It is preferable that three holes be providedfor a slot 18 of the character shown in FIG. 4, however, depending uponspecific dimensions, two may sutfice or more than three may be desired.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A method of aperturing rigid metal tie rods and like elongated partseach of solid cross section and substantially equal thickness indirections at 90 to one another transversely of the length of the part,comprising the steps of treating each of said parts individually byremoving from said part portions of the material thereof within the sidemargins of the part and located in longitudinally aligned, generallycylindrical Zones extending transversely through the thickness thereof,the axes of which zones are parallel and in close propinquity to oneanother, leaving a portion of material intervening between successivezones which is of a resulting width along the line of said axessubstantially less than the respective diameters of said zones, andsubstantially and sufliciently less than said thickness of the part toenable a ready re moval of said portion by a single operation incapableof such ready removal if said width of said portion were substantiallygreater than said resulting width, and without further interveningtreatment and in a single operation, punching an elongated slot outlineof substantial width in said part to remove said intervening materialthereof along the line of the axes of said zones, the ends and sides ofwhich slot outline lie within the arcuate side confines of said zones.

2. A method of aperturing rigid metal tie rods and like elongated partseach of solid cross section and substantially equal thickness indirections at 90 to one another transversely of the length of the part,comprising the steps of treating each of said parts individually bydrilling through said part within the side margins of the part and inlongitudinally aligned zones extending transversely therethrough, theaxes of which zones are parallel and in close propinquity to oneanother, leaving a portion of material intervening between successivezones which is of a resulting width along the line of said axessubstantially less than the respective diameters of said zones, andsubstantially and sufficiently less than said thickness of the part toenable a ready removal of said portion by a single operation incapableof such ready removal if said width of said portion were substantiallygreater than said resulting width, and without further interveningtreatment and in a single operation, punching an elongated slot outlineof substantial width in said part to remove said intervening materialthereof along the line of the axes of said zones, the ends and sides ofwhich slot outline lie within the arcuate end and side confines of saidzones.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, in which there are at leastthree of said zones at which material is removed from the part in saidtreating step, the punching step removing material from the partsimultaneously on opposite sides of an intermediate zone.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2, in which there are at leastthree of said zones at which the part is drilled to remove materialtherefrom in said treating step, the punching step removing materialfrom the part simultaneously on opposite sides of an intermediate zone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,239,390 Henry Sept. 4, 1917 1,582,052 Klages Apr. 27, 1926 2,376,724Rice May 22, 1945 2,415,905 Overton Feb. 18, 1947 2,511,829 Arrighini etal. June 20, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 927,086 Germany Apr. 28, l955

1. A METHOD OF APERTURING RIGID METAL TIE RODS AND LIKE ELONGATED PARTSEACH OF SOLID CROSS SECTION AND SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL THICKNESS INDIRECTIONS AT 90* TO ONE ANOTHER TRANSVERSELY OF THE LENGTH OF THE PART,COMPRISING THE STEPS OF TREATING EACH OF SAID PARTS INDIVIDUALLY BYREMOVING FROM SAID PART PORTIONS OF THE MATERIAL THEREOF WITHIN THE SIDEMARGINS OF THE PART AND LOCATED IN LONGITUDINALLY ALIGNED, GENERALLYCYLINDRICAL ZONES EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY THROUGH THE THICKNESS THEREOF,THE AXES OF WHICH ZONES ARE PARALLEL AND IN CLOSE PROPINQUITY TO ONEANOTHER, LEAVING A PORTION OF MATERIAL INTERVENING BETWEEN SUCCESSIVEZONES WHICH IS OF A RESULTING WIDTH ALONG THE LINE OF SAID AXESSUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE RESPECTIVE DIAMETERS OF SAID ZONES, ANDSUBSTANTIALLY AND SUFFICIENTLY LESS THAN SAID THICKNESS OF THE PART TOENABLE A READY REMOVAL OF SAID PORTION BY A SINGLE OPERATION INCAPABLEOF SUCH READY REMOVAL IF SAID WIDTH OF SAID PORTION WERE SUBSTANTIALLYGREATER THAN SAID RESULTING WIDTH, AND WITHOUT FURTHER INTERVENINGTREATMENT AND IN A SINGLE OPERATION, PUNCHING AN ELONGATED SLOT OUTLINEOF SUBSTANTIAL WIDTH IN SAID PART TO REMOVE SAID INTERVENING MATERIALTHEREOF ALONG THE LINE OF THE AXES OF SAID ZONES, THE ENDS AND SIDES OFWHICH SLOT OUTLINE LIE WITHIN THE ARCUATE SIDE CONFINES OF SAID ZONES.